E-mail, Feeds, 'n' Stuff

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

They've got our vote

The ballots will be here within the week, and so it's time to name our picks in the May primary. We're registered D for this one. In the races that are contested, here are our choices:

Oregon attorney general. We were leaning toward Dwight Holton in this race, but after his best buddy John Kroger's recent maneuvering to become president of Reed College, we're mighty leery of what's going on there. That leaves Ellen Rosenblum, who promises to make Hardy Myers look like Lebron James. We may actually leave this one blank.

Court of Appeals seat 6. The powers that be are united behind Tim Volpert, and that makes us nervous. James Egan, a trial judge in Eugene Albany, has a lot of support among the litigation attorneys around the state. It's a coin flip, but we'll probably vote for Egan.

Multnomah commissioner. Our district is sitting this one out. If we could, we'd vote for Patty Burkett.

Portland mayor. We promised we'd vote for Max Brumm, and we will. But we're hoping the Mrs. will vote for Scott Fernandez. Bill Dant would also be a decent choice. This one's sure to be headed for a runoff, and so there's no need to hold your nose and vote for someone you don't trust.

Portland City Council seat 1. Bruce Altizer.

Portland City Council seat 4. Scott McAlpine.

Metro, 5th District. None of these looks good. Helen Ying rises to the top of a weak pack, but that Judy Shiprack endorsement she has is scary as all get-out. The guy running against Bob Stacey in the 6th District, Jonathan Levine, also looks good enough. But it's Metro; we're not hopeful that anything good will come of any of the candidates.

Library tax measure. Sure. We like the library, despite the deceitful practices of its supporters in their most recent ballot measure campaign.

Portland charter cleanup. Who cares? Not worth the lead in the pencil.

U.S. Congress, 3rd District. We're writing in Bernie Giusto.

We think that's it, but there are always some goofy contests on the ballot that we hadn't anticipated before it got here. We'll add those in when we find out what they are.

We have our own issues out here in Clackistan. Big choice is whether to vote for Dwight Holton or Ellen Rosenblum. As PERS retirees, we are concerned with who gets elected and having a choice between a soon-to-be-Ex-PERS retiree, and Fed Boy, the choice is tough. The Oregonian's endorsement of Holton is enough to make me want to vote for Rosenblum, but god only knows what wrath he will bring. After Kroger's disastrous leadership, we're not exactly thrilled by the choices. I'm thinking writing in Jose Canseco.

What I liked about Kroger was that the power elite of the state were afraid of him. But now I see that they've cashed out their fear. If Holton is another Kroger, he'll be looking for his next gig as soon as he tires of the Salem commute and the crummy pay.

I've been an avid follower of this blog for 10+ years -- lived in Portland for 13 years before headed back to North Tobaccolaccy in '05 -- and I've never felt the need to comment until now. Ellen Rosenblum is a great jurist (her father was a groundbreaking federal court judge in Chicago) and a decent person. Forget Willy Week, conspiracy theories or any vague misgivings, she would be a honorable and effective AG. I won't try to get into all the details of why I feel so strongly about her; suffice it to say I've seen her in court and in the community and she would be a breath of fresh air in Salem.

I have met and observed Judge Rosenblum and like her a great deal, and I'm sure she would make a fine state attorney general. I would prefer someone who would shake things up in the state's power structure, however, and alas, she seems highly unlikely to do that.

An up-to-date Portlander would not proudly hand out green, plastic bike pins, probably with bis-phenol. Earl has been in D.C. wayyyyyy too long. He can't remember what it is like to live in the "where did that come from?" bubble. He needs to come home and sample the cart-food that is earning such national recognition. Fernandez for mayor is a top priority. We need somebody who knows what the Boeing Plume is and how to make sure it does not hit us in the face when we take a shower.

Thanks Jack, I really appreciate this! I'm also going to vote Scott McAlpine since he and my dad coached my baseball team when I was 9 years old! Great guy and I've known him for years. Hey maybe the 39% that's undecided with spit the votes so Scott and I will be in the run off. We can only hope for the sake of Portland. Don't forget to vote!

Godfry,
That is what we are supposed to do, is kind of give up on the election. In my view, we are at crossroads and instead need to escalate our efforts to get other than the "insider" candidates into office.

I wrote this about 10 days ago
Monday, April 16, 2012 on the thread
Hales: "I'm not a maintainer":

Remember when Bud Clark won in the primary?

Remember when Margaret Straughn won a commission seat? The "expected" candidates to win had the media there, and then the media had to go to her, she opened the door and essentially said that they had the money and that she had the people.

Do NOT leave any race unvoted. If you need to, mark two or three boxed to invalidate that issue. If you leave it blank, there is a chance that someone later will "ascertain your true intent" and mark the ballot for you.

Thank you Mr. Bogdanski! I am very pleased to get a fantastic nod from you!

I did not perform well @WW endorsement interview. That's fine. It was my 3rd interview. However, I have made up for it with my "salvos" with the County overall, @PDX Mercury endorsement interview. Judy wasn't expecting me to say what I did. I must admit I was a bit of a pit bull! And...@the Hollywood Senior Center on Monday, April 23rd. That was extremely fun for me as the audience was extremely enthusiastic when I declared that they all should get "Single Payer" exactly like the President & Congress." They were so excited! Debbie, Wes & Judy were silent. They looked like I just ran over them with a MAC truck! I'm getting there! I've got my mojo now! I am beyond the moon with your encouragement! I deeply respect your opinion and your "Bogdanski Buds"! I'm still having fun! With my deepest appreciation, Patty

Road Work

Miles run year to date: 80
At this date last year: 89
Total run in 2014: 401
In 2013: 257
In 2012: 129
In 2011: 113
In 2010: 125
In 2009: 67
In 2008: 28
In 2007: 113
In 2006: 100
In 2005: 149
In 2004: 204
In 2003: 269